Two years afterwards, the Spaniards invaded Georgia. A
fleet sailed from St. Augustine, and arrived at the Island of St.
Simon, on the coast of Georgia. By means of a stratagem,
Oglethorpe, with a much inferior force, repelled the attack, the
country was relieved of its invaders, and Georgia and the
Carolinas were saved from ruin.

CHAPTER V.

KING GEORGE'S
WAR.1

1.
NEWS of another war between England and
France reached America in 1744. This war, commonly known in
America
as King George's War, originated in disputes regarding the
succession to the throne of Austria, and hence in Europe was
called the War of the Austrian Succession. In this war all
the leading states of Europe were involved. But England had a
particular quarrel with France, because Louis XV., king of France,
had acknowledged Charles Edward, the Young Pretender, as
the rightful sovereign of England, and had formed an alliance with
Spain, then at war with that country.The American colonies first learned the
existence of a state of war through the surprise and capture by
the French of a small English garrison at Canso, whence
eighty prisoners were taken to Louisburg.2.
The most important event of this war in America was the capture of
Louisburg.This fortress was called, from its
strength, the Gibraltar of America. All the New England
colonies furnished troops for its capture, and New York, New
Jersey, and Pennsylvania made appropriations in aid
of the enterprise. In April, 1745, the expedition sailed
for Louisburg, under the command of General William Pepperell, of
Maine. A month later Commodore Warren, with an English fleet,
joined him at Came. The combined forces, numbering more than four
thousand troops, landed and laid siege to the fortress, which, on
the 28th of June,2 surrendered.

1 See Map. p. 81.
2 June 17, 0. S.
3 A powerful fleet was sent out by France the
next year, under the Duke d'Anville, for the purpose of retaking
Louisburg and desolating the English colonies; but a disastrous
passage, shipwreck, and a fatal distemper, so reduced the armament
that no attack was made.

QUESTIONS. --
Describe the invasion of Georgia by the Spaniards. Chap. V. 1.
When did news of another war between England and France reach
America? Name of this war in America and in Europe? Origin of the
war? What particular quarrel had England with France? -- How did
the American colonies first learn of the war? 2. What was the most
important event of this war in America? -- Give an account of the
expedition against Louisburg.

CHAPTER VI. THE FRENCH AND INDIAN WAR.

87

3. The central
colonies, as in Queen Anne's war, were protected by the
Iroquois confederacy, now the Six Nations. But the northern
frontier suffered from hostile incursions.A party of French and Indians from Crown
Point captured a small garrison at Williamstown,
Massachusetts, and ravaged the settlement at Saratoga, New
York. To secure themselves against these attacks, the English
colonies, as far south as Virginia, elated at the success at
Louisburg, united in furnishing troops to act in concert with a
British fleet for the conquest of Canada. But England failed to
send the promised fleet, and the projected conquest fell
through.
4. A treaty negotiated at
Aix-la-Chapelle,1 in 1748, terminated King
George's war. By the treaty all conquests
were to be mutually restored. The St. Mary's was fixed upon as the
southern limit of Georgia; but the boundaries between the
British and French provinces in America were left unsettled --
germ of another war.

CHAPTER VI.

THE FRENCH AND INDIAN
WAR.2

I.
THE BEGINNING OF
HOSTILITIES AND THE DECLARATION
OF WAR. -- 1. We
come now to the last and severest of the intercolonial struggles.
The cause of this war, known as the French and Indian War,
was the conflicting claims of France and England to territory in
America. When war was actually declared, both these countries had
formed alliances, which gave rise to the mighty struggle in Europe
called the Seven Years' War.2. Scarcely had the treaty of
Aix-la-Chapelle been signed, when the French and the English began
to quarrel about the boundaries of Acadia.3 The
former would restrict that name to the present Nova Scotia; the
latter claimed under it the whole region east of the Penobscot and
south of the St. Lawrence. Collisions took place between the rival
claimants.3. But severer troubles were
brewing on the Ohio. An association of speculators, called
the Ohio Company, having obtained from George II., king of
England, a grant of a vast tract of land on the Ohio River,

QUESTIONS. -- 3.
What is said of the central colonies? Of the northern frontier? --
What is said of Williamstown and Saratoga? Why and by what
colonies was the conquest of Canada projected? Why did the project
fail? 4. When did King George's war end? Where was the treaty
negotiated? Result in America of the treaty? Chap. VI. 1. What was
the cause of the French and Indian war? What is said of this war
in Europe? 2. What quarrel had the English and French about
Acadia? What did the French consider the boundaries of Acadia?
what the English? 3. How did difficulties originate on the
Ohio?

88

PERIOD III. 1689-1763. INTERCOLONIAL
WARS.

prepared to establish settlements, and to open a trade with the
Indians, The governor of Canada had early intelligence of the
designs of this company, and, claiming the valley of the Ohio for
France,1 sent, in the spring of 1753, twelve hundred
men from Montreal to occupy the disputed territory. They
established posts at Erie, at Waterford, and at
Franklin,2 seized some of the English traders, and
retained them as prisoners.4. The company appealed for
protection to Robert Dinwiddie, governor of Virginia, who resolved
to send "a person of distinction to the commander of the French
forces on the Ohio River, to know his reasons for invading the
British dominions." The person intrusted with this service was
George Washington, who then, at the early age of
twenty-one, entered upon that line of public service which
resulted in the independence of his country. He set out from
Williamsburg,3 on his difficult and perilous journey,
late in the autumn. He successfully accomplished his mission, and
returned after an absence of nearly three months. The French
commandant, St. Pierre, avowed the purpose of keeping possession
of the Ohio, and of seizing every English trader found within the
valley.5. Early in the following spring,
Virginia sent out a body of troops to protect the Ohio
Company in erecting
a fort at the junction of the Alleghany and Monongahela Rivers.
Washington became the leader of the expedition. Pressing forward
with his troops, he reached the Great Meadows, erected a fort, and
named it Fort Necessity. Here learning of the approach of a
small force of the French, he attacked them by surprise, killing
and taking prisoners nearly the whole party. This contest may be
said to mark the opening of the war.6. Meanwhile the French drove away
the English who were building the fort, themselves completed the
work, and named it, in honor of the governor of New France,
Fort Duquesne. From this fortress they marched against
Washington, who, at Fort Necessity, with but four hundred men, was
compelled to surender (sic), July 4, on condition, however, that
he, with his whole command, should be permitted to return
unmolested to Virginia.7. Albany Plan of Union. --
The British ministry, perceiving war to be inevitable,
recommended the colonies to secure the friendship of the Six
Nations, and to unite in some scheme of common defence.
Accordingly, a convention of delegates from the New England
colonies,, and from New York, Pennsylvania, and Maryland, was held
at Albany, on the day of the surrender of Fort Necessity, July
4,1754. This convention adopted a plan of union, drawn up by
Benjamin Franklin. But this plan was approved neither by the
provincial assemblies nor by the king's council. By the

1 See p. 67, Chap. XII., and p. 20,
§ 11.
2 Called by the French Presqu' Isle, Le
Boeuf, and Venango, respectively.
3 Then the capital of Virginia.

QUESTIONS. --
Where did the French establish posts? 4. To whom did the Ohio
company appeal for protection? What did Dinwiddie resolve to do?
Whom did Dinwiddie send to the French commandant? Give an account
of Washington's journey. What purpose did the French commandant
avow? 5. What expedition did Virginia send out? When? Who became
leader of the expedition? What fort did he build? Describe the
opening of the war. 6. What is said of Fort Duquesne? Give an
account of the attack upon Washington. 7. What Can you tell of the
Albany plan of union?

CHAPTER VI. THE FRENCH AND INDIAN WAR.

89

former it was rejected, because it gave too much power to the
crown; by the latter, because it gave too much power to the
people.18. Events of 1755 .-- Early
in the spring of 1755, four expeditions were planned by the
colonies; one against the French in Nova Scotia, a second against
the French on the Ohio, a third against Crown Point,2
and a fourth against Niagara3 -- the first a disgraced
success, the others discreditable failures.9. The expedition against Nova
Scotia reached the Bay of Fundy in June. The French forts in
that province were speedily reduced, and the whole region east of
the Penobscot fell under British authority.The submission of the province was
followed by an act of the most heartless cruelty towards the
French inhabitants of Acadia. Pretending to fear that the
Acadians would aid the French in Canada, the English
authorities assembled, by artifice, several thousands of these
unsuspecting people, drove them on board ships, and scattered them
among the colonies from New Hampshire to
Georgia.410. The expedition against the
French on the Ohio was conducted by General Braddock, a
British officer, who, with Colonel Washington as one of his aids,
began his march from Virginia for Fort Duquesne in June, with
about two thousand men. Ignorant of Indian warfare, yet too
self-confident to receive advice, Braddock urged forward his
troops, and, when within a few miles of the fort, was surprised by
a small party of French and Indians, and suffered a terrible
defeat.The English regulars,
appalled at the yells of the savages, and at the sight of their
officers and comrades falling around them by shots from an unseen
foe, broke and fled, leaving their artillery, stores, baggage,
everything, in the hands of the enemy. Braddock, brave as he was
obstinate, was mortally wounded while vainly attempting to rally
his men. While the "regulars broke and ran like sheep before the
hounds," the provincial troops, though held in great contempt by
the English officers, fought bravely. Washington, cool and
intrepid, and exposed to every danger, was one of the few officers
that escaped unhurt.

1 According to this plan, a grand
council was to be formed, of members chosen by the provincial
assemblies of the colonies. This council, with a governor-general
appointed by the crown and having a negative voice, should be
empowered to make general laws, to raise money in all the colonies
for their defence, to call forth troops, regulate trade, and lay
duties.
2 See Map, p. 90, and p. 80, ¶
3. 3 See p. 80, ¶ 3.
4 It is upon an incident connected with
this act of tyranny that Longfellow's poem of Evangeline is
founded. A few of the Acadians, escaping through the Woods, formed
a settlement on the banks of the St. John, in the northern part of
Maine, where their descendants, in language, manners, and customs
but little changed since their exile, still reside.
QUESTIONS.
-- Why was the plan rejected by the provincial assemblies? Why by
the king's council? 8. What expeditions were planned in 1755? 9.
Give an account of the expedition against Nova Scotia. -- What is
said of the treatment of the Acadians? 10. Give an account of the
expedition against the French on the Ohio. -- What is said of the
English regulars? What of Braddock? Of the provincial troops? Of
Washington? 8*

90

PERIOD III. 1689-1763. INTERCOLONIAL
WARS.

11. The
expedition against Crown Point was led by General, William
Johnson, of New York. Near the
south end of Lake George he met and defeated a force of French and
Indians, under Baron Dieskau. Satisfied with this success,
Johnson' wasted the autumn in erecting Fort William Henry, near
the battle-ground. Leaving a garrison in the fort, he disbanded
his troops.Johnson arrived at the southern extremity
of Lake George in the latter part of August. While here,
intelligence was received that a large body of the enemy had
landed at South Bay, now Whitehall, and was marching towards Fort
Edward, which had recently been erected on the Hudson. A
detachment sent out by Johnson to intercept the French and save
the fort, was surprised and routed with frightful slaughter.
Dieskau pursued, and made a spirited attack upon the camp of
Johnson. Here victory decided for the English; the enemy retired
in great disorder, leaving Dieskau wounded and a
prisoner.12. Governor Shirley, of Massachusetts,
had command of the expedition against Niagara. He advanced
as far as Lake Ontario; but the news of Braddocks defeat, the want
of provisions, and the lateness of the season, caused the
enterprise to be abandoned. Nothing was accomplished except the
building of a new fort at Oswego, in which he left a garrison.

II. UNFORTUNATE
CAMPAIGNS OF 1756
AND 1757. -- 1. Events of
1756. -- Thus far hostilities had been carried on without any
formal proclamation of war; but in May, 1756, war was
declared. Lord Loudoun, sent out as commander-in-chief of all
the troops in the English colonies, attempted nothing of
consequence.2 While he was trifling away the summer,
the Marquis de Montcalm, who had been appointed to the
chief command of the French, invested the fort at Oswego with
about five thousand French, Canadians, and Indians, and after a
brief siege took it.

1 For this victory Johnson was made a
baronet of Great Britain. See p.93, note 1.
2 The plan of operations for 1756 had for its
object the reduction of Crown Point, Fort Duquesne and Niagara;
but owing to the delay and inefficiency of those in command, not
one of these objects was even attempted.
QUESTIONS. -- 11.
Give an account of the expedition against Crown Point. -- Describe
this expedition more particularly. 12. Give an account of the
expedition against Niagara. 1. When was war formally declared? who
was appointed commander-in-chief of the troops in the English
colonies? Who was the French commander-in-chief? What did he
do?

CHAPTER VI. THE FRENCH AND INDIAN WAR.

91

By this capture the
French obtained command of Lakes Ontario and Erie, and of the
country of the Six Nations. Sixteen hundred prisoners, and a great
quantity of artillery and stores, fell into the hands of the
enemy.2. The only success of the
colonial forces, during this campaign, was the chastisement of the
Indians, who, since the defeat of Braddock, had been laying
waste the frontier settlements of Pennsylvania, and murdering the
inhabitants. Colonel John Armstrong, with about three hundred men,
marched against Kittanning, their chief village, situated
on the Alleghany, and, though meeting with an obstinate
resistance, destroyed their town, and killed their principal
chiefs.3. Events of 1757. -- The British
Parliament made great preparations to prosecute the war in 1757.
The reduction of Louisburg1 was resolved upon. A
large force was collected and placed under Loudoun. At Halifax he
was joined by a powerful fleet and a land force from England. But
his tardiness gave the French time to reenforce the fortress, and
the design of attacking it was abandoned.4.Weakness and indecision marked
the councils of the English during this campaign. Not so with the
French. Montcalm, finding the troops withdrawn for the reduction
of Louisburg, seized the occasion to make a descent on Fort
William Henry,2 then garrisoned by two thousand
men. With a force of about eight thousand French and Indians he
laid siege to it, and at the expiration of six days it
surrendered. General Webb, who lay at Fort Edward, only fifteen
miles distant, with an army of four thousand men, offered no
assistance to the besieged garrison. So gallant was the defence of
Fort William Henry, that its brave commander, Colonel Monro, and
his troops, were allowed an honorable capitulation, and promised a
safe escort to Fort Edward. No sooner, however, had the troops
left the protection of the fort, than the Indians attached to the
French army, despite the efforts of Montcalm to prevent it,
plundered them of their baggage, and murdered many of them in cold
blood.

III. SUCCESSFUL
PROSECUTION AND TERMINATION OF
THE WAR. -- 1. In
the summer of 1757, the celebrated William Pitt, afterwards
Lord Chatham, was placed at the head of the administration, and
breathed new soul into British councils. The tide of success now
turned in favor of the English, who achieved victory after
victory, until the whole of Canada surrendered to the British
arms.2. Events of 1758. -- Three expeditions
were proposed for this year; the first against Louisburg, the
second against Ticonderoga,2 and the third against Fort
Duquesne.

1 See Map, p. 86.
2 See Map, p. 90.

QUESTIONS .--
Result of this capture to the French? 2. What is said of the
Indians in Pennsylvania? What chastisement was inflicted? 3. What
can you tell of the attempt to reduce Louisburg in 1757? 4. What
can you tell of Montcalm's descent on Fort William Henry? Of the
defence of the fort? Of the Indians attached to the French army?
III 1. What is said of William Pitt? 2. What expeditions were
proposed for 1758?